Valerie Loureda is celebrating Hispanic Heritage month in an interesting way. The former Bellator MMA star who is now with WWE posted a series of photos on Instagram that shows her wearing blue underwear while holding the Cuban national flag. In the post, Loureda wrote: “My heart is from Havana” with the hashtag “Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Loureda left Bellator MMA to join WWE. She signed a contract with the company in June and reported to the WWE performance center on July 19, according to ESPN. Loureda said she attended WrestleMania and was blown away with the entire production. ESPN said Loureda remains under contract with Bellator MMA, but the focus for her is getting on WWE TV in the foreseeable future.ย
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“Valerie Loureda is a very young and talented athlete who can accomplish plenty in MMA for years to come, but for now we wish her the best of luck as she pursues her dream of becoming a WWE Superstar,” Bellator MMA president Scott Coker told ESPN in a statement. “She will remain an active and under contract fighter with Bellator, and we look forward to welcoming her back into the cage in the near future. We take great pride in allowing our athletes to test themselves in additional arenas such as boxing and pro wrestling.” ย
When speaking with Ariel Helwani in June, Loureda said she’s ready for the big career move. “I have now become the first Cuban-American woman and I am now a WWE superstar,” she said, per MMA Fighting. “I’m really excited, and I’ve dedicated my whole life to martial arts, and everything has come to this moment. And this is my opportunity to showcase my culture and entertain the world. I’m emotional because I’ve worked really hard in my whole life. I’ve had a very hard upbringing, and every day, I’ve always just believed in myself, and trained hard hoping to make it to the next step and just chasing a dream that I’ve had in my heart since I was a baby.” According to her bio on Tapology, Loureda posted a 4-1 mixed martial arts record. Her last fight was against Taylor Turner at Bellator 271 in November 2021 and won the match via split decision.ย
